RobbieG

Thanks ammandel. It has been nice getting to know esteemed new members (which as Lani say are our lifeblood) such as yourself. And yes, everyone be on the lookout. I want to buy a Nardin ships chronometer. Preferably a modern reissue version like has been produced since the 90's. The antiques are just too expensive, plus the modern ones are smaller and perfect for my desk in the office. It was either that or an Atmos and to me as cool as those are a chronometer just has it beat. Before anyone asks, yes it has to be a UN Chronometer - the one and only, but I'm sure you all figured as much with me.

I'm being good just for you Ken (and TT). Cool as a cucumber.

You see that? True love. That is how we roll on RWG. The only forum where people not only apologize when they are out of line, but the other side actually accepts it and then they become friends for life. There is just a sickening amount of love around here.

Hahaha, yeah phaedo me too. I gotta do something bad again and wind up the pikers in good fun. That was a fun thread. I get in trouble though and I don't want to make work for mods or admin so I gotta lay off that stuff for a while. But I would rather spend more quality time for serious posts anyway. Although I have to admit I marvel at the power of a few sentences and their abilty to draw negative emotion on the net.

Nice to see you with your own store front. You know how much I love and respect your work and ethics. Welcome again and to a bigger presence this time.

Yeah, I think it is supposed to be actually as they were trying to target the Asian market. As I said it is supposedly doing very well in the east.

Thanks guys. The pleasure is all mine. Here's to 2000 more. Coming back to this thread is fun as I get to watch the timezones around the world logging on. Such a culturally diverse community with pretty much equal representation from east to west, north to south and everything in between.

I waited until 2K to see what the new avatar message would be, instead of making the announcement one post earlier. Always entertaining. Another 500 and I'll be all grown up like the really big boys. In all seriousness, thanks to all of you for making my life a little bit better than it already is. The best companion a workaholic could ever have. I genuinely enjoy hanging out and sharing information with all you guys and especially the inner circle (you know who you are). I feel like my friendships here and my horological knowledge get a little stronger each and every day. I also vow to continue to step up my contributions as much as I can particularly with historical and technical stuff which is what I'm most inspired to do. Selfishly though I find that by posting more I learn more about the hobby in the process. Anyway, thanks again guys. You are all like a fleet of fine German automobiles in my book - or er, watches that is. Or as Sinatra would say - Aces!

By way of contrast, and trust me when I say like all UN stock pics these don't do it justice the 37MM Dual Time ladies version is just amazing. Similar GMT function to my 42MM version with the Home Time 24 hour display and the jumping hour pushers. My girl is pushing for one of these for the birthday coming up. She is worth it. Plus I'll get to photograph it and make it look like it really does in person - a million bucks in hand and on the wrist. It comes in a few different versions. Here are two.

Yeah, they say many women are nuts for it. I have actually seen and handled it in person and my fiance' rather likes it. Like everything Nardin it is world class in every way. Fit, finish and feel is great. Very substantial believe it or not.

Another thing. Of course I was right in that the Blue Seal these are supposed to be still is a Maxi Marine Chronograph with the Caliber 35 (2894 ebauche). But given that all the MMC's are 41MM - including the standard issue versions I posted above - why would they make the rep 44MM? Again, what is the deal with the movement? Is it a modified A7750 with secs @3?

They repped the most bizarre ladies watch ever conceived (which I hear BTW is a home run for UN in Eurpoe & Asia - selling like hotcakes) hands down. I'm convinced the designers were doing peyote when they sketched it. Without further delay, may I present The Golden Dream (mushroom dream that is...) The replication? Hear the sickly sound of a whiffle bat whizzing by? Uh huh... PS: Did they just look at it co*keyed and think it was oval instead of round and just decide to throw 2008 in red in the center of the dial for kicks?

Easy to read I'll give you that T., but flaws aside I can't share your sentiment of liking it in anyway. What I'm trying to figure out is what movement they used to get the case and spacing to look like that. We know it isn't a 2894 (and when will Seagull or Sellita clone that BTW?) so what is it?

Vac is the best. J is a great craftsman and a great guy. In CONUS now for more than a year or so now since he moved. And best of all, a down to earth guy with a simplified communication and submittal process. No grey areas, sicknesses, changed services list, lost watches, lost modder, or any of the other pitfalls I have experienced in the past. Very easy to work with and fast turnaround. Oh yeah, and the VCO looks great Vac!

@d - It is becoming more and more obvious you are in New England and it is winter time. You are the sweater king. It seems like you have one on in every wristcheck!

Its a toofer today...

OK let me get a little serious here. You pikers who are always complaining about the quality of reps vs. cost should make posters of this at life size and mount them over your beds. How far this industry has come in such a short time is staggering. Not so long ago EVERY Rolex rep used to look like this. So the next time you pay (only) $400 for a nearly world class watch, instead of complaining look at this picture and think of the thousands of people who paid top dollar for one of these and were happy to have it. Simply put, the quality to cost ratio of our best reps these days is such that flaws and/or defects render nearly every discussion moot. But then we wouldn't have anything to talk about so I suppose we can let that slide. The moral of the story is everyone needs to appreciate what we have - especially the noobs since they probably don't really know where we came from. .02

Oh yeah, the hybrid as I like to call it. I forgot about that one - bad, bad, bad Nardin ambassador. Good catch on the failing mind of the old man. I'm going to have to relinquish my resident UN expert status to Pho.

PS: Many don't know this, but even Glashutte Original - another fine manufactory paid its respect to Nardin and the 1846 heritage by producing a limited edition chronometer in 1997. Limited to just 30 pieces and with gold hardware, retail price was just shy of a lofty $17,000 USD. But what a beautiful example it is...

Beautiful. I'm working on a UN guide at the moment so stay tuned - but in the meantime as you may know Ulysse Nardin has ruled the chronometer roost since the late 1800's. For those who don't know, merchant and military ships used marine chronometers as a principle means of navigation in concert with other tools and accuracy was of utmost importance. An error of several seconds could mean positioning errors of hundreds of miles even at the equator. By the late 1800's there were only two countries who did not use UN Chronometers and those were the United States and Japan. Japan used Chronometers developed by Kintaro Hattori which eventually became the Seiko company, and the United States? Well, Nardin claims that the US stole a key to the patent office and replicated their design and most in the know are inclined to believe it is true. Apparently there were many lawsuits which remained open but never resolved for many years. What blows my mind is how the original UN design and layout has been carried through to all these fine examples including yours from the mid 20th century. It is like the "no better mousetrap" of the horological world. No where else do you see such a linear design carry though over such a long time period as with the UN chronometer design. I guess it is kind of a great respect to them when nobody ever really saw the need to deviate from the design. And no wonder right? They are simply perfect. You are very lucky to have those two fine examples my friend. I think part of the reason I love the Nardin marine line so much and have over the years is because of the carry over of the exact layout from the chronometers. I just think the dial proportions are just right with the design (again as evidenced by how long it has held up in the chronometer world) no matter which version, not just my own Maxi Marine Diver 1846 I happen to have at the moment. Love them all... And of course another classic Nardin Chronometer example...

Vacheron Constantin Malte Chronograph rep. 41MM so it will comand more attention than the Patek, but the same idea and league - actually a bit past it even movement and cost wise. Very accurate and at a couple hundred bucks the janitor in the courtroom can afford one... The only real tell is the subdial spacing due to the fact that the Venus 175 (and its clone in the watch) is a wider movement than the Lemania 2310 in the gen. So you can see the dot indices at 3 and 9 are removed on the rep to accomodate that. Even the movement looks great - a classic U-wheel bridged low beat column wheel chrono just like the gen. But only a WIS would notice these thinngs and even then at arms length no way. When I had this rep I wore it to many a black tie function surrounded by those who know how much of a watch freak I am (many of them also gen collectors like me) and not one of them even suspected it was a rep. Instead, they all complimented me on what a nice VC example it was. Sounds like in your circles you might expect a similar situation. Try it out. Here is a rep/gen comparison: Rep (you will need to put a high quality replacement strap on it - this is a custom large scale gator from Banda. Heavily padded to handle a dress chrono and glazed for an even more formal look): Gen (the dial looks whiter in this pic but isn't. It is very much silver exactly like the rep):

Glad to have helped. We have a very open and helpful community here, and again welcome arrow. Speaking of movements, if you are interested, I just did a couple articles on handwound chronograph movements - specifically the Lemania 2310 and the F. Piguet 1185. The former is now in the Knowledge Base section and the latter is new and still in General Discussion. In all serious I would welcome your comments if you have to time to check them out (as long as you don't say what I wrote is bullsh*t). Just kidding about that part...

All Planet Ocean's are not "UPO"s. UPO was a term given to the very best quality ETA clone version of the 45.5MM PO. The UPO has the recessed pearl that looks closest to the gen and the dial with the upturned feet on the logo. There is another version with a better logo without the upturned feet and it is a good watch but not a "UPO". Of course there are also lots of lower cost 45.5MM PO's but of course those aren't UPO's either. Hope that helps clear up some terminology barriers. Bite the bullet and get a true UPO. With some modding in the future, you will have a near gen like rep, whereas the hundred dollar one will be a throw away, have no resale value and a potentially unreliable movement. With the advances made in reps today the best thing to do is buy at the upper end of the price scale. Many are near world class watches that can either be kept for years in a serious collection or sold with ease at not so much of a hit. Food for thought Dennis...

Right, you have now apologized twice and now even edited and changed some of the messages so they look better too. I forgive you now so just drop it. Oh and as for the length of my posts, check me out - I always write essays on everything. Its part of a personality defect I have. lol. Just ask my friend Lanikai. Kind of a joke around here dude.